Four adjustments that the Patriots must make

Photo courtesy of Grantland

We all can agree that the Patriots blow out victory against Cincinnati was much needed. Unfortunately, I have to be the Debbie Downer or Bill Belichick Jr. but the Patriots have several adjustments that must be made in order to keep this winning streak going. Let's take a peek at the blemishes I saw during Sunday night's game.

1.) Minimize penalties

The Pats collectively were hit with 12 penalties for a total of 114 yards. According to NFLPenalties.com, they rank first in total yards penalized with 466 yards. During Sunday's game, the penalties helped the Bengals advance down the field more so than their offense. In all fairness, some of those penalties were just awful. However, players like Logan Ryan, our most penalized player, must show some discipline on both sides of the ball. The Patriots cannot continue to give yards away to their opponent and expect to keep winning.

2.) Red zone efficiency

Despite putting up a ton of points, the Patriots still have some red zone woes. There were a few times where the Patriots sniffed the endzone but settled for field goals. According to TeamRankings.com, the Patriots convert their red zone opportunities into touchdowns about 52% of the time. That ranks them 18th in the league (ironically behind Cincinnati). Now this isn't a huge red flag because this stat only tells half of the story. However, the Patriots need to find ways to score 7 points whenever in the red zone and stop settling for field goals.

3.) Convert third downs

Based on NFL.com, the Patriots are converting on third downs at 36.5% Against the Bengals, the Patriots were barely above their average with a third down conversion rate of 37%. The lack of being able to convert on third down really can mess with Brady's rhythm and confidence.

4.) Stop the run

Defensively, the Patriots did a solid job at holding the Bengals to 79 yards rushing. However this is bit misleading since the Bengals abandoned the run after falling behind on the scoreboard. Stopping the run is critical given the Patriots next two opponents. They will face a duel rushing attack with Fred Jackson & CJ Spiller from Buffalo and Chris Ivory & Chris Johnson from the Jets. Shutting down both of these attacks will force Kyle Orton and Geno Smith (or Michael Vick) to beat you in the air.

Listen, I celebrated the victory against Cincinnati like everyone else. However, I have moved on to Buffalo. I


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